Piston ring



arch 25, 1924.

A, c. McFARLANE P-ISTON RING Filed Nov. 4, 1920 Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

UNEF

ALBERT C. MGFARIANE; 0F HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA.

PISTON RING.

Application filed November 4, 1920. Serial No. 421,724.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. MCFAR- LANE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hayward, county of Alameda, State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Piston Rings, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to piston packings and has reference more particularly to an improved compound eccentric piston ring especially applicable to pistons of internal combustion engines but also capable of being used in steam engines, pumps and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a most eflicient and practical piston ring of the character described to which end one of the existing features resides in combining or associating a plurality of eccentric rings together to provide a unitary concentric ring structure of perfect balance, uniform elasticity, and capable of meeting the ri 'd reqiurements of high speed gas and the li e engines.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an example of reducing the principle to practice and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the eccentric component parts as associated together in a unitary concentric structure; Figure 2 is a plan view; Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 33 Figure 2; Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 Figure 2; Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing the relative position of the eccentric parts at one of the joints; Figure 6 is a side view of the overlapping ends of one eccentric ring; Figure 7 is a cross section on the line 77 Figure 8 Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 Figure 7; Figure 9 is a plan view of a concentric ring including my improved joints;

lgure 10 is a fragmentary view 'showin the relative position of one of the joints use in the form shown in Figure 9, and Figure 11 is a detail view of still another modification showing a different joint.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it is proposed to employ a pluralityof eccentric rings, pieces 1, 2, 3 and 4, comprising upper outer and inner pieces and lower outer and inner pieces respectively, each one of the pieces representing, as previously stated, an eccentric structure, and so constructed as to make of a concentric structure when joined together in the manner shown. To enable the ring pieces to be assembled around a piston each will include, as is customary, a split or joint, for instance the overlapping joint 5 or the abutting joint 6. The joint in each piece will be preferably in its thisnest part, which will enable the thickest part to be realized as the central point of resiliency from where the flexible qualities of the metal gradualy increase toward the'joint. Then again, this will also permit of the joint in one piece to be opposite the joint in a co-related piece at least to an extent that the joints in both the outer upper and lower pieces 1 and 3 will be diametrically opposite each other. For each of the abutting joints a lug or abutment 7 will be provided at the thickest part of and on the inside of a corelated piece.

I As a locking element to maintain the pieces properly assembled under sufficient tension or com ression a ring such as 8 is used, this ring having a staggered or mutilated split as at 9 made to abut against the adjacent one. of the lugs 7 and with a recess or cut away portion 10 made to receive the opposite one ofthe lugs.

Arranged-at spaced intervals around the edge of the ring are slits as. at 11 to equalize the efiect of the two splits just descibed.

In Figures 7 and 8 is shown a combination of pieces 1, 2 and 8 combined in a modified form and comprising a primary ring piece l 2lhaving an overlapping .joint' 13 and an eccentric channeled undercut 14 made to receive an eccentric secondary ring piece 15 of the same dimensions as the channel. In this form the compression or tension ring 8 may be dispensed with.

Figure 9 shows a concentric ring construction with the improved joints A, B, and C arranged substantially 120 apart. In Figure 10 the ring pieces 16 and 17 while separate each include a lug or abutment 18 and 19 respectively, one above the other and I in alignment, so as to provide a surface to receive the confronting'ends of the piece 20, which is of a width of that of the two pieces 16 and 17. This is a detail construction of the joints used in Figure 9 at A.

' In Figure 11 a compound joint 1s formed by the large intermediate ton re and recess O and the smaller tongues an recesses D on and a compression ring adapted to be fitted lug at the point ring structures adapted to be assembled to ring having a split joint to the inside of the assembled pieces for locking the same together.

2. In a piston ring construction, a plurality of eccentric ring structures each having a joint in their thinnest part and a of greatest thickness, said produce a concentric piston ring with some of the joints co-operating with said lugs, and a compression ring adapted to be fitted to the inside of the assembled pieces for locking the same together, said compression ring having a joint also adapted to engage one of said lugs.

3. In a piston ring construction, a plurality of eccentric ring structures each having a joint in their thinnest part and a lug at the point of greatest thickness, said ring structures adapted to be assembled to produce a concentric piston ring with some of the joints co operating with said lugs, and a compression ring adapted .to be fitted to theinside of the assembled pieces for locking the same together, said compression adapted to abut against opposite sides of one of said lugs,

and a mutilated connected joint adapted to receive another of the lugs.

4. In a piston ring construction, a plurality of eccentric ring structures eac having a joint in their thinnest part and a lug at the point of greatest'thickness, said ring structures adapted to be assembled to produce a concentric piston ring with some of the joints co-operating with said lugs and a compression ring adapted to be fitted to the inside of the assembled pieces for locking the same together, said compression ring having a split joint adapted to abut against opposite sides of one of said lugs, and a mutilated connected joint adapted to receive another of the lugs and a series of slits around the edge of said compression ring adapted to equalize the compression effect of the same to the piston ring.

5. A circular piston ring comprising two equal pairs of rings, each consisting of an outer ring defined by two eccentric circles having an internal lug extending from its heaviest portion and a split in its thinnest portion, and an inner ring having an outer circumference fitting the inner circumfer' ence of the outer ring, an inner circumference concentric with the outer circumference of the outer rin and a split in its thinnest portion adapted to engage the lug of the outer ring, the two airs being disposed one above the other with the lugs in diametrically opposed relation and the eccentric intermediate circles crossing each other and locking means for the two pairs com prising a fifth element fittin inside the pairs having recesses therein a apt/ed to receive the said lugs.

ALBERT C. MGFARLANE \Vitnesses:

FRANK C. HARGREAVES, AGNES M. HARGREAVES. 

